Just like the iPhone 16 series, Apple’s latest iPhone 17 lineup and iPhone Air feature a sleek edge-to-edge display and Face ID support. That means there’s no Home button, so closing or force-quitting apps works differently compared to older iPhones with Touch ID.
How do I close apps without the home button?
On the iPhone 17 or Air, you can use swipe gestures to see open apps, close running apps, or exit out of an app. The process is the same on earlier Face ID models like the iPhone 16 and iPhone 15.
In this guide, you’ll learn how to close apps, see recently opened apps, force quit unresponsive apps, or close multiple apps at once on iPhone 17, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max, or iPhone Air.
How to Close an App on iPhone 17 or iPhone Air
To close an app on iPhone 17 or iPhone Air and return to the Home Screen, swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen. The app will close, and you’ll return to the Home Screen.
Note: Swiping up doesn’t completely stop the app and it may still run in the background.
How to See Open Apps on iPhone 17 or iPhone Air
To view all your open or recently used apps on iPhone 17 or iPhone Air, use the App Switcher or Recent Apps section:
- Swipe up from the bottom of the screen and pause in the center.
- You’ll see the multitasking view with all your open apps.
- Swipe left or right to browse and tap an app preview to open it.
See apps running on iPhone
This is handy for multitasking or quickly switching between apps.
How to Force Close Apps on iPhone 17 or iPhone Air
Sometimes apps freeze, lag, or stop responding to touch. In such cases, you’ll need to force close (force quit) the app.
Force stopping an app closes a frozen app and stops it from running in the background.
To force close an app on your iPhone 17 or iPhone Air:
- Swipe up from the bottom and pause halfway to open the App Switcher.
- Scroll left or right to find the app that’s not working.
- Swipe up on the app’s preview to force stop it.
Force-quit an app from App Switcher
Tip: After force closing, reopen the app to refresh it.
How to Close Multiple Apps at Once
While iOS doesn’t offer an option to close all apps on iPhone, you can close multiple apps simultaneously using multitouch gestures.
To close multiple apps on iPhone 17, 17 Pro, or iPhone Air:
- Open the App Switcher (swipe up from the bottom and pause in the middle of the screen).
- Place two or three fingers on different app previews.
- Swipe up with all fingers to close multiple apps in one go.
Recently used apps on iPhone
This is the closest option to closing all apps at once.
Can I Close All Open Apps on iPhone 17 or iPhone Air at Once?
No, iOS does not provide a built-in feature to close all apps at once on iPhone 17, iPhone Air, or earlier models. The only way is to swipe away apps manually, either one by one or multiple apps at a time, using multitouch gestures.
Tip: Use Back Tap to Quickly Open the App Switcher
If you want a faster shortcut, Back Tap can be set up to instantly open the App Switcher. Here’s how:
- Go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch.
- Scroll down to the bottom and tap Back Tap.
- Choose Double Tap or Triple Tap, then select App Switcher.
- Now double-tap or triple-tap the back of your iPhone to bring up the App Switcher instantly.
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